Brush actuated tooth powder dispenser



June 12, 1951 L. E. STONE BRUSH ACTUATED TOOTH POWDER DISPENSER Filed Oct. 24, 1949 IN V EN TOR. LLEWELLYN E.. STONE IDCB Patented June 12,1951

UNITED STATESFPATENT OFFICE BRUSH ACTUATED TOOTH POWDER DISPENSER Llewellyn E. Stone, Detroit, Mich.

Application October 24, 1949, Serial No. 123,189

2 Claims. (01. 222-127 The present invention relates to a dispenser which may be detachably afiixed to a wall or the like, and in particular to such a dispenser which is especially adapted to dispense a powder, for example a powdered dentifrice, said dispenser including means to hold the head of a toothbrush or the like and guide it in a predetermined path while a powder is dispensed and distributed thereon.

Prior to the present invention, devices for dispensing dentifrice powders have been tried and found objectionable for several reasons.

In many conventional dentifrice powder dispensers, the dentifrice powder is dispensed through an orifice by a mechanism which isoperated by one hand, while the, user attempts to move the toothbrush below the orifice with his other hand to effect distribution of the dentifrice powder over the bristles of the toothbrush. At best, this construction requires a high degree of manual co-ordination, which when lacking, results in uneven distribution of the powder on the brush, and spillage of the powder around the brush.

To reduce such spillage, many dispenser constructions have been developed which dispense only small portions of powder at one time. Such dispensers will not dispense sufiicient dentifrice powder in one operation for cleaning the teeth. Instead, several successive operations of the dispensing device are required to provide an adequate amount of powder.

Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an efficient powdered dentifrice dispenser wherein a guided movement of the toothbrush is utilized to actuate the dispenser while the brush is held in position to effect an even spread of the dentifrice with a minimum of spilling and waste; and in which the dentifrice is twice dispensed and spread upon the bristles of the toothbrush during one dispensing operation when the head passes beneath the dispensing orifice, thus assuring that a sufiicient amount of dentifrice is dispensed during any single use.

It is another objectlof the present invention to provide a powdered dentifrice dispenser utilizing a movable carrier member-which will hold the head of a toothbrush and guide it past a dispensing orifice upon being pushed inwardly, and which will then automatically return the toothbrush head past the dispensing orifice to the initial position, dentifrice being dispensed and spread on the bristles of the toothbrush during the inward movement and during the return movement.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a dentifrice dispenser which is of ornamental appearance, simple in construction, relatively inexpensive to manufacture by mass production methods, of sturdy construction, and which has relatively few parts, thus assuring a long, trouble-free service life, the dispenser being so constructed as to be quickly and easily disassembled and assembled to facilitate cleaning and maintenance thereof.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a dentifrice dispenser embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken along the line 22 and the accompanying indicated plane in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 3-3 in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 2, a toothbrush being indicated in phantom.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal fragmentary section taken along the line i:i in the'direction of the arrows, Fig. 3.

Before explaining the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capabl of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

The dispenser of the present invention consists mainly of a hopper Iii having an. orifice II in its bottom portion, a bracket I2, a cover i3, a toothbrush carrier I 4 having a slot L5 in the upper portion thereof, and a spring l6. Ina preferred embodiment of the present invention, the orifice l l in the hopper I0 and the slot [5 in the carrier [4 are formed as elongated holes of the same size. The dispenser is operated by inserting a toothbrush head into the carrier i4 and forcing the carrier against the spring it to compress it, and then allowing the carrier i l to return to its initial position under force of the spring It. During both the inward and return action, as the carrier I4 moves past the orifice H, the portion of the slot l5 which is located beneath the orifice II becomes progressively larger until the slot 15 and orifice H are in perfect alignment at which time the maximum amount of dentifrice will be dispensed at the middle portion of the toothbrush where it is desired. Then with further movement of the carrier 14, the orifice l is gradually closed by the top portion 26 of the carrier I4, and the dispensing of the dentifrice is gradually cut ofi, the dentifrice dispensed upon the middle of the brush being spread over the bristles by the bottom of the hopper [0. Thus, an adequate supply of dentifrice is provided since dispensing is effected. twice in one operation, once when the carrier l4 slides inwardly and once when the carrier I4 is returned by the spring [6.

The cover [3 is provided with indentures H which form the ridge [8 in the center portion of the cover I3. The cover I3 may be easily handled by inserting a finger and thumb into the indentures I! and grasping the ridge 18. The bottom edge of the cover I3 is formed to provide a groove and shoulder adapted to engage a groove and shoulder formed along the top edge of the hopper 18, thus affording means for tightly closing the cover l3 over the hopper H3.

The hopper III is provided with the sloping portions [9 near the bottom to guide or direct the dentifrice contained in the hopper 10 toward the orifice II. The carrier housing 2b is formed below the hopper l and includes the track slots 2| which are open at their rearward ends and closed at their forward ends.

The bracket I2 includes a flat plate portion 22 which is provided with the holes 23 to adapt the bracket for attachment to a wall or the like. A tongue 24 is formed at the top of the bracket 12 at right angles to the plate 22, and is adapted to fit into the rear portion of the carrier housing 26 along the track slots 2|. An annular spring seat 25 is formed in the center of the plate 22.

The carrier i4 com-prises the top slide portion 26 containing the slot l5, and a substantially U-shaped toothbrush head holder 21 formed at the rear of the said top slide portion 26. An annular spring seat 28 is formed on the rear face of the holder 27 and is adapted to align horizontally with the spring seat 25 on the bracket l2 when all the units are assembled.

To assemble the dispenser of the present invention, the top slide portion 26 of the carrier I4 is inserted into the rear open ends of the track slots 2! and is located against the forward blind end of the said track slots 2i. The spring I6 is placed into the spring seat 28 on the carrier I4. The spring [6 is then seated in the spring seat 25 on the bracket l2, and the tongue 24 of the bracket [2 is slid into position along the track slots 2i. The bracket i2 is then secured to the carrier housing 20 by some means,

such as cementing.

A worn or fatigued spring may be easily replaced. The spring [6 is removed from the dispenser by reaching up through the open bottom portion of the carrier housing 2:; behind the carrier M, compressing the coils of the spring 16 so that the ends of the spring will move out of the spring seats 25 and 28, and removing the compressed spring through the open bottom of the carrier housing 20. A new spring may be inserted by compressing the coils of the new spring, inserting it upwardl through the open bottom of the carrier housing 20 behind the carrier l4, and allowing the spring to expand into the spring seats 25 and 28.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided an efficient and simple dentifrice dispenser which is operated merely by placing a toothbrush head in the carrier I4 provided therefor and pushing inwardly against a spring It. The carrier M is automatically returned to its initial position by the spring l6. During the inward and outward movement of the carrier l4, dentifrice is twice dispensed and evenly spread upon the bristles of the toothbrush without spilling and wasting the dentifrice. The toothbrush head is accurately guided beneath the dispensing orifice H and maximum economy is effected in the use of the dentifrice.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A dentifrice dispenser comprising a hopper having an orifice in the bottom. portion thereof, a pair of parallel longitudinal wall members extending downwardly from said hopper, one on each side of the orifice in the bottom of said hopper, a carrier track on the inside of each wall portion near the top thereof, the forward end of each track being closed and the rearward end being open, a carrier member slidably engaged with said tracks between the saidv walls and having a slot in its top portion, an attaching bracket having a tongue portion detachably fitted into the rear portion of said tracks, and resilient means disposed between said carrier and said bracket to return the carrier to its initial position when it is displaced. therefrom.

2. A dentifrice dispenser particularly adapted for use with powdered dentifrices, comprising a hopper having an elongated slot in the bottom portion thereof, a cover detachably secured to the top of said hopper, a pair of longitudinal wall members extending downwardly from said hopper, one on each side of the orifice in the bottom of said hopper, a carrier track on the inside of each wall portion near the top thereof, the forward end of each track being closed and the rearward end being open, a carrier member adapted to hold a toothbrush head and comprising a top with an elongated slot therein of the same size as the said slot in the hopper bottom, a back wall, and a bottom flange, said carrier member having its top slidably engaged with said track portions, a spring seat disposed on the rear face of the back wall of said carrier member, an attaching bracket having a tongue portion detachably fitted into the rear portion of said tracks, a spring seat disposed on the front face of said bracket, and a coil spring inter-posed between the spring seat on said carrier member and the spring seat on said bracket to return the said carrier to its initial position when it is displaced therefrom.

LLEWELLYN E. STONE.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Wandel Jan. 29, 1935 Number 

